Early Morning Songs

Since my last post in early March, many things have changed, as always happens this time of year. Some of the most prominent changes are in the sounds that I hear in the morning upon waking up. As I was preparing to write this blog post, I came across in my queue a post that I wrote on March 5th. Why I did not publish it to Blogger that day has totally escaped my memory. Here is what I had written then:

Two wolf concerts in one night...actually morning...was a pretty impressive showing. We heard the first songs at 2:35, and they struck up again at 5:30. After the early performance, I thought about how great it would be to record the sound. I realized that my camera happened to be upstairs in my room, rather than downstairs on a shelf. I could use the video function to do that, but the wolves seemed to be done. I went back to sleep.

When the second concert began at 5:30, it took me a moment to remember my earlier thoughts. But then it came to me, and quickly and quietly I got out of bed. I went to the window, and reached for my camera on a nearby shelf. I could faintly see the outline of a wolf, out front on the ice near the sauna. "Greg," I said, "They're right down in front!" In the dark without my glasses, I attempted to set the camera on record. In the meantime, Greg went downstairs to retrieve his video camera.

We listened to the wolves, and I could identify three different voices. The first one was the most recognizable, and is usually the one to lead off. A second one chimed in with its own tune. The third added yips to the mix. What an amazing harmony.

Soon we could hear another sound in the distance. It took a moment or two to recognize it, but all too soon it was the unmistakable sound of snowmobiles. To the west we could see two, and then four headlights, traveling east. The wolf chorus stopped, and then I could see three seperate bodies gather. They took off running, also east, but towards our bay. There would be no more singing this morning.

We dressed and went outside to see if there was another kill on the ice. The dawn skies showed us the pristine landscape of frozen ice. A barred owl hooted in the distance, and the ravens tested their morning voices. No sign of the wolves. We'll have to wait until tomorrow to see what the next chapter brings.

Since that time, the wolves have moved on to different locations. Greg has howled every now and again, trying to conjure up a reply, but without much luck. I guess I'll be waiting all the way until next winter for my wolf buddies to return.

In the meantime, the birdsongs have picked up considerably. Before we went on vacation earlier this month, I brought in the feeders, so as not to attract any bears. Even without a steady supply of feed right here, the birds are still nearby...chickadees, nuthatches, crows and ravens. And with the warmer weather, I have heard loons, eagles, winter wrens and white-throated sparrows. There is a lot of comfort in hearing these old, familiar songs. It's almost a signal that things are fine in the world...the natural world at least...when the birds are still singing.

While on vacation, we had the opportunity to hear a most incredible sound in nature: humpback whales singing to each other. We had the good fortune to visit the state of Hawaii, and it happened to still be whale season there. While snorkeling, we could hear the sounds in the not-too-far-off distance. It was amazing! Listening to them, watching for them, and seeing them, were all a breath-taking experience. It reminded me in some ways of my interest in wolf-watching. If the whales were near the shore, I had to stop everything and watch them. If we were driving near the coastline, we kept our eyes scanning the ocean, hoping to see a hump or tail rise out of the water, or to see a water spout indicating that those actions might follow. What a privilege to see one of the largest mammals on earth!

Perhaps someday we will return to Hawaii, and we'll make sure that it is during the time the whales visit the islands. 'Til then, we'll keep an eye out on the woods and waters of Gunflint Lake.